MOSCOW, June 29 /TASS/. Montenegro’s early admission to NATO — if it takes place — will confirm the bloc’s policy of expanding its presence in Eastern and Southern Europe, Alexey Pushkov, the head of the State Duma Committee for International Affairs, told journalists on Monday.
"Montenegro’s early admission — if it takes place — will simply confirm that NATO is determined to expand its military and political presence in the territory of Eastern and Southern Europe. There is nothing here that would be going beyond NATO’s current policy," Pushkov said.
He added that NATO had already made a decision in principle to admit Montenegro. "It is a second question when this fact formally takes place," the deputy went on to say.
"NATO is increasingly consolidating the military and political space under its control," the Duma committee’s head said. "If Montenegro is admitted ahead of schedule, it will be another proof of NATO’s desire to consolidate," Pushkov said.
According to him, NATO is trying to use the current tensions in relations between the West and Russia for increasing to the maximum its military presence in Eastern Europe and the Balkans.